Tues., Nov. 15 is America Recycles Day and while vast improvements have been made in how households recycle, there is still much to be done in the workplace and at facilities. But the process can be as easy as adding a few recycling receptacles and then getting buy-in from people in your building.

The growth of recycling at home has been a tremendous success and has practically become a household routine for most families. Empty a milk jug or water bottle. Read a newspaper. Finish using a cardboard box. Don't throw it in the trash bin. Put it in the recycling bin.

However, according to Keep America Beautiful, this is not taking place in most workplaces, office buildings and other facilities. With an estimated 5.6 million commercial office buildings in the US, you can imagine the impact this would have on recycling.

Here are some helpful hints on how to implement a recycling program at your facility and how you can use America Recycles Day as a catalyst to kick off the change.

1. Savings - when you talk about recycling for businesses, it's best to go first to the bottom line. According to Keep America Beautiful, an average office building could realize as much as a 50% reduction in monthly waste fees if they implemented a recycling program. Of course this varies according to local municipalities and their particular recycling programs. But there is a savings potential here, especially for a larger building or if you add up the savings on a yearly basis. In essence, combining recyclables with trash at a business is like throwing money away.
2. LEED credits - a recycling program is a part of LEED certification. There are many benefits to obtaining this award, including marketing the building to people who are environmentally conscious, and today, that is a huge part of the population. Recycling receptacle with designated openings for recyclable products
3. "Green Building" Marketing - Even if your building is not seeking LEED certification, promoting the fact that you have recycling programs in place will impress people and has "green," environmentally friendly marketing benefits. In a survey conducted by Kelton Global, nearly two-thirds of Americans say they recycle on a regular basis. That's a big portion of the marketplace in tune with protecting the environment.
4. Contribution to the Environment Overall - as we said, recycling in homes has become a standard practice. Yet, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, nearly half or 45% of waste is created in office buildings and other facilities. That's an enormous impact on the environment and local, state and national efforts for sustainability best practices.
5. There's a Big Demand for Recycled Scrap - one important note for business people and facility managers - collecting recyclable materials such as bottles, glass, paper, cardboard and aluminum is not just a feel-good project. Because of advances in the manufacturing of products with recycled scrap, such as recycled plastic benches or picnic tables, aluminum bleachers and other items, there is actually a huge demand for more recycled material. Manufacturers can't get enough. Recycle it and it will not go to waste.

These are five solid reasons why a business or facility should implement a recycling program for America Recycles Day.

Now here are some suggestions on how to accomplish this. A few of these tips can be just the impetus to make a change of behavior take effect at your facility.

1. Make it Simple - people at work are busy. They have projects to complete. They have a limited amount of time. Don't make them walk down three flights of stairs to find recycling receptacles and bins. Put these recycling containers where they are convenient. Place them right next to trash receptacles.
2. Recycling Configurations - when you provide recycling receptacles, it's a good idea to use receptacles that have holes configured for items such as aluminum cans, plastic bottles, etc. You don't want to have consumers mixing regular trash in these containers and contaminating the recycled items.
3. Clear Labeling and Signage - in keeping with the cross-contamination theme, make sure that your recycling bins are clearly marked. Make them a different color such as green or blue. Buy recycling receptacles with the universal three-arrow logo on them.
4. Internal Education with Critical Personnel - when you launch a recycling program at your facility, make sure you involve all the stakeholders. Notify the trash hauling company. Make the director of your cleaning crew and the crew themselves aware of this new program. Make a list of other key personnel and inform them. Be sure that all of the key parties involved have buy-in for the project. That is essential, otherwise cracks will appear and the whole program might fall apart because of lack of commitment.
5. Communication Program with Workers - once the staff is on-board, it's time to educate employees and workers. This can be done with signs at trash bins, fliers posted on bulletin boards, emails and other materials. Keep America Beautiful has a great selection of ready-made materials you can easily use to educate people.
6. Appoint a Recycling Ambassador - it's always smart to find a person for each company, division or floor who can help instigate a recycling program. Once the recycling receptacles are placed in the right locations, it doesn't take much to promote a recycling program. Most good public citizens are already aware of the benefits of recycling and will cooperate. Sometimes they just need a little nudge and a passionate ambassador can do just that.
7. Monitor and be Prepared to Pivot - okay, you purchased specific recycling receptacles. You placed them throughout the building next to trash bins. You notified the trash hauler. You got commitments from key personnel. You informed workers. You found a recycling ambassador who is eager to make the program a success.